RARA-AVIS: Future of the Genre

From: Larry Newton ( ldnewton2@attbi.com)
Date: 30 Aug 2002


From the Thrilling Detective website, I saw the following (in the "Thoughts on the Future of the Genre" http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/triv136.html page):

"In the corporate culture of late-twentieth century America, an independent operator is a loser. (Freelance writers like Block know this as well as anyone does.) The private eye, that seductive image of incorruptible independence, just doesn't correspond to our current sense of ourselves. In 1950 Chandler wrote," The private eye is admittedly an exaggeration--a fantasy. But at least he's an exaggeration of the possible." Not anymore, I'm afraid.".."

Anybody care to elaborate on this? Agree or disagree? What is the "current sense of ourselves"? I believe that if we (as Americans, presumably) don't see ourselves as independent operators and incorruptible, this is a sea-change! Have we Americans (presumably) altered our Weltanschauung
("world view")?

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